Automotive door latch systems typically use an actuation system in which a rod extends from a handle, mounted on either the outside or the inside of the door, to the latch, which allows manual unlatching of the latch so as to permit opening of the door. Undesirable unlatching may occur, however, during the event of a collision impact upon a vehicle door, if either the latch operating rod or the latch release lever is moved to the unlatched position during deformation of an outer portion of the door. Automotive designers have attempted to prevent unwanted latching in the event of an impact against a door by means of a structural cage imposed between the latch release lever or latch control rod and the outer panel of the door. In order to be effective, such protective cages must be very rigid and consequently excessive in both weight and expense. A system according to the present invention achieves the result of resisting undesired unlatching during a collision impact, but without the need for a rigid, expensive cage constructed about the latch operating rod and lever.